Examine tide pools, explore a coastal forest and kayak among otters as you enjoy the pleasures of childhood with your grandchild on a fun-filled adventure on California's Central Coast. With a naturalist leading the way, share hands-on educational opportunities like touching sea stars, limpets, chitons and hermit crabs in their natural habitats, hunting for animal signs in the forest, and playing games among the trees.

Highlights

• Watch from a kayak as otters feed in the rich estuary waters of Morro Bay and discover the molted fur of an elephant seal along a secluded beach.• On a eucalyptus forest nature walk search for butterflies, raptors, egrets and evidence of mountain lions and bears.• Visit with a red tail hawk! Meet rehabilitated birds of prey with Pacific Wildlife Care.

Activity Particulars

Hiking, walking up to two miles over mixed trails and paths, some rocky terrain. Kayak in stable ocean kayaks for up to two hours with frequent stops on calm, protected bay; no open ocean. Basic instruction provided. No experience necessary.

Coordinated by Road Scholar.

Cambria

A quiet seaside village on California's Central Coast, Cambria enjoys a mild climate year-round. Home to tidal coves, migrating sea mammals and unspoiled beaches, the community is halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco near San Simeon.

Accommodations
Retreat lodging away from the crowds, set among 25 acres of Monterey pines overlooking forested valley. Lunch on your own in Morro Bay to explore this small beach town.

Meals and Lodgings

Cambria Pines Lodge

Cambria, CA

4 nights

Cambria Pines Lodge

Type:

Lodge

Description:

Cambria Pines Lodge is located just off Highway One and is nestled among 25 acres of pines, set away from the crowds on California’s central coast. Enjoy the comforts of modern conveniences in a country setting.
Accommodations, dining facilities and educational programs are located within a short walking distance of each other. Paths are flat and mostly paved. The hotel has a split-level floor plan with approximately 8 stairs to guestrooms. There are a limited number of rooms with ramp access. Please contact the program provider as soon as possible if you require such a room.
Dinners will be buffet style. Some meal substitutions may be available for medical conditions indicated on the required Participant Information Form.

The Main Lodge offers an excellent restaurant featuring local wines and the Fireside Lounge (with nightly live entertainment) all surrounded by world-class gardens. The certified organic kitchen garden provides home grown organic produce to the restaurant at Cambria Pines Lodge, while other areas of the theme gardens offer spectacular landscaping. Other amenities include room service between 5:00 and 8:45 PM, a gift shop, a day spa and an outdoor pool and spa.
Cambria Pines Lodge offers extensive grounds and gardens. The gardens are constantly being updated and expanded and offer something for everyone. Sit at the top of one of the forested hills and paint a picture of the surrounding hills framed by a series of pine trees, or sit by one of the many fountains located throughout the property. Take a stroll through the woods to Cambria Village or to Cambria Nursery and Florist, where many of the plants from our gardens are available for purchase.
The Lodge is a non-smoking facility with smoking allowed outdoors only.

Smoking allowed:

No

Additional nights prior:

$119 - $249 The Cambria Pines Lodge does not offer a discounted rate to Road Scholar participants for pre and post program stays. Please make reservations for early arrivals or stay-overs directly with the hotel. Be sure and tell whomever you speak with that you are with the Road Scholar group for that specific week. Call 805-927-4200 or toll free 800-966-6490.

Check in time:

3:00 PM

Additional nights after:

$119 - $249 The Cambria Pines Lodge does not offer a discounted rate to Road Scholar participants for pre and post program stays. Please make reservations for early arrivals or stay-overs directly with the hotel. Be sure and tell whomever you speak with that you are with the Road Scholar group for that specific week. Call 805-927-4200 or toll free 800-966-6490.

Check out time:

11:00 AM

Travel Details

Start
of Program:
Registration begins at 4:00 PM at the hotel. You will be staying at Cambria Pines Lodge that night.

End
of Program:
Program ends at 11:00 AM. You will be staying at Cambria Pines Lodge the night before.

Required
documents:
The Participant Information Form is required. A Release of Liability is required for the kayaking trip. Please send completed release with the other forms to the provider (we will turn in the forms as a group).
The Intergenerational Rules and Regulations Form is required and young adults also need to return the Parental Consent Form (one per child).

Travel Details

Cambria from San Luis Obispo

From Airport

Service:

Per Person/One Way:

$45 per person for two travellers; single traveller rate $90Prices are subject to change.

Travel Time:

50 minutes

Distance:

37 miles

RIDE-ON is a private transportation company servicing San Luis Obispo (airport, train station and bus depot). Advance reservations required as they are not open on weekends. Sunday transportation is available by prior reservation only. You must be able to handle your own luggage to and from the RIDE-ON shuttle. Please ask for Bob or Aleen when calling. They will combine travellers for a reduced rate per person.
Greyhound Bus Lines information: 800-229-9424
Amtrak information: 800-812-7245

Cambria from San Luis Obispo

From Airport

Service:

Per Person/One Way:

$75 each way (up to 4 people)Prices are subject to change.

Cambria is halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on scenic Highway One. San Luis Obispo has the nearest plane, bus and train terminals. There is no convenient, regular public transportation from San Luis Obispo to Cambria Pines (45 miles away).
Advanced reservations are required.

Cambria from San Luis Obispo

From Airport

Service:

Car Rentals

There are several rental car agencies at the airport if you prefer to rent a car. We recommend you make reservations in advance.
Avis: 800-831-2847
Budget: 800-527-0700
Enterprise: 800-736-8222
Hertz: 800-654-3131
Thrifty: 800-847-4389

Cambria from San Luis Obispo

From Bus Terminal

Service:

Per Person/One Way:

$90 for 1st person, $5 for each additional in traveling party.Prices are subject to change.

For schedules and information, contact Greyhound Bus Lines at 800-229-9424.
RIDE-ON is a private transportation company, which can provide transportation from San Luis Obispo. Reservations need to be made in advance because they are not open on weekends. Sunday transportation is available by prior reservation only. You must be able to handle your own luggage to and from the RIDE-ON shuttle.

Cambria from San Luis Obispo

From Train Station

Service:

Per Person/One Way:

$90 for 1st person, $5 for each additional in traveling party.Prices are subject to change.

Contact Amtrak for schedules and information- 800-812-7245.
RIDE-ON is a private transportation company, which can provide transportation from San Luis Obispo. Reservations need to be made in advance because they are not open on weekends. Sunday transportation is available by prior reservation only. You must be able to handle your own luggage to and from the RIDE-ON shuttle.

Driving
Directions

Cambria Pines Lodge (Cambria, CA) from Northern California

Take Highway 101 south to Paso Robles.
About 1.5 miles south of Paso Robles take CA Highway 46 West.
Continue to follow CA-46.
After nearly 25 miles, you will reach the intersection with CA Highway 1.
Turn right (North) onto CA highway 1.
Stay on Highway One until second stop light, which is Burton Drive.
Turn right on Burton Drive and follow the double yellow line as the road winds uphill to the right.
After half a mile, you will see a sign on the left for Cambria Pines.

Take Highway One going south. Cambria is a little over 100 miles south of Monterey. The road has numerous curves.
Once you reach Cambria, the third stop light on Highway One is Burton Drive.
Turn left on Burton Drive.
Follow the double yellow line as the road winds uphill to the right.
After half a mile, you will see a sign on the left for Cambria Pines.

Travel Highway 101 north to San Luis Obispo.
Once in San Luis Obispo city limits, take CA Highway 1 toward Morro Bay.
Follow signs to CA Highway 1.
In about 13 miles you will pass the city of Morro Bay, then Cayucos.
Cambria is about 16 miles north of Cayucos.
After you reach the "Cambria City Limits" sign, stay on CA Highway 1.
The second stop light is Burton Drive.
Turn right on Burton Drive and follow the double yellow line as the road winds uphill to the right.
After half a mile, you will see a sign on the left for Cambria Pines.

The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Daily Schedule

Day 1:

Meet Your Fellow Explorers and Your Adventure Guide!(Monday, June 17)

Afternoon:

Registration: 4:00 PM, followed by time to get to know your new friends who will share in your week of discovery.

Dinner:

Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Evening:

Meet your guide for the week as he discusses the adventures that you will be sharing over the next few days.

Explore a sandy beach, dip your toes in the ocean, hear the bark of an Elephant Seal and search for the remnants of their molted fur, scavenger hunt in the forest.(Tuesday, June 18)

Breakfast:

Breakfast

Morning:

Get ready for your adventure trip to see some of the most extraordinary seals in the world....the massive, talkative Elephant Seals. Inflating their huge snouts, male elephant seals can bellow loudly enough to be heard a mile away. Before our visit to the rookery, our host naturalist prepares you to better understand these fascinating creatures through a lively discussion of their habits and life. The Northern Elephant Seal feeds mostly on squid, octopus, ratfish, hagfish, small sharks, and other deepwater marine life. A deep feeder, it can remain underwater for up to 80 minutes, often coming to the surface for only four minutes or so before diving again. The deepest dive ever recorded for an air-breathing mammal was 5,187 feet (nearly a mile) by a Northern Elephant Seal.
Take a walk along the ocean cliff to a secluded beach to look for otters, seals and to view the fascinating Elephant Seals. Elephant Seals' hair and outer layers of skin molt periodically, so keep your eyes open for this molted skin on the beach!

Lunch:

At San Simeon State Park enjoy a picnic lunch along the beach with time to splash in the water and enjoy some sun.

Afternoon:

After lunch head into the forest as you learn about its ecology from decomposers to bears and mountain lions. Search above and below as you join in on a scavenger hunt to find evidence of these creatures--bones, traces of skin, feathers--who knows what you might find! Play a camouflage game as you learn how animals of the forest protect themselves from their predators. Learn how and why animals do what they do and why a forest is important.
Then return to the lodge for a chance to enjoy the pool before dinnertime.

Dinner:

Dinner at the Lodge

Evening:

After dinner we will have a special visitor who will share Chumash Indian stories and demonstrate the skills of this local Native American tribe. See how they started fire from tools found in nature and learn how they relied on their surrounding plants and wildlife for food. Be prepared to be amazed at his skills!

See wildlife up close--a Great Horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk or a Merlin? Play "Who Eats Who" and Listen to the Rocky Phone at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History. Explore Tidepools, Snack on Snails and Feast on Seaweed!(Wednesday, June 19)

Breakfast:

Breakfast

Morning:

More wild critters to meet today! Get acquainted with some of the favorite "stars" at Pacific Wildlife Care. Look eye to eye with Hoot the Great Horned then visit with Finnegan a Western Tree Squirrel, Jack the Merlin, Ruby the Red Tailed Hawk, Zena an American Kestrel or Olive the Opossum. How can you help your wildlife neighbors and protect their homes and environment? Pacific Wildlife Care's staff will help you learn what you can do.
Following this presentation spend some time at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History. Build a sand dune, operate the hydrologic cycle and dig into the food pit to create your own food chains as you learn who eats who in the marine environment. The museum's interactive displays give you fun insight into the wildlife inhabitants of the area. Head to the observation deck to peer through the telescopes in search of birds and wildlife in the bay and to get a good look at massive Morro Rock. Take in a movie in the auditorium and ask the docents all your questions!

Lunch:

Visit the historic fishing village of Morro Bay with some time to explore on your own and enjoy a lunch spot of your choosing!

Afternoon:

Spend the afternoon discovering what lies on the ocean floor. Explore the tidepools north of Morro Bay and share your discoveries with each other. You will find sea anemones, eels, sea stars, snails, limpets, chitons and possibly octopus in these amazing pools full of marine life. Your adventure guide is right by your side ready for your questions about your discoveries.
Ever snacked on snails or feasted on seaweed? Take a try as your adventure guide shares edible findings in the tidepools. He will boil some snails, so you can take a taste!

Otters, Harbor Seals, Oyster Farm, Sand Dunes, Secluded Beaches, Endangered Birds--this day has it all as you paddle your kayak and walk the dunes.(Thursday, June 20)

Breakfast:

Breakfast

Morning:

An easy morning of paddling takes in a heron rookery, the bird haven of Grassy Island, as well as chances to see otters and seals in this amazing wildlife hot spot. After taking all this wildlife in, we beach our kayaks on a secluded part of the outer sandspit for a fun dunes hike to a hidden Chumash shell midden. Keep your eyes peeled for native american artifacts--a piece of pottery, a rock tool, shells and remnants from beach fires. A short walk past the midden, we come to the Pacific Ocean and unparalleled views up and down miles of secluded beach. Watch for nesting snowy plovers, a protected endangered species. Comb the beach for rocks and shells left by the tides on this wild side of the coast.
This trip is designed with beginners and family groups in mind and includes basic paddle and safety instruction at the start of the tour. Morro Bay is separated from the ocean by a long sandspit and is all flat water – no ocean waves. Designated a National Estuary, the varied eco-systems of Morro Bay abound in all kinds of wildlife. Harbor seals, sea lions and sea otters all call the bay home, as well as hundreds of species of birds, including several rare and endangered species. The weather is moderate year round, creating an ideal place for beginners as well as experts to kayak. No experience is necessary as you join your new friends, adventure guide and a kayak guide with outdoor education in mind.

Lunch:

Back on the bay side of the dunes, linger a while longer for a picnic lunch.

Afternoon:

Take a leisurely paddle back to the docks and then head back to the lodge for a restful afternoon by the pool or for time to explore the town of Cambria.

Dinner:

Dinner at hotel

Evening:

With abalone shells and a Native American hand drill--this unique and amazingly efficient drill with an obsidian point--make a keepsake of your adventure!

Visit with your new found friends for one last time and take home a photo souvenir. The check out time at the lodge is 11:00 am.

Meals
Included:

Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities

Cambria, CA

Big SurFrom beaches to mountains...Hike along the streams in the cool, tree lined valleys. Climb up on the high ridges for a spectacular view of the coastline on the western slope and gaze into three million acres of wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest on the eastern slope.
For additional information, visit www.bigsurcalifornia.org

Cambria
A charming artists' village in an idyllic setting half-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles on scenic Highway One, Cambria is home to pristine beaches, wild and rugged hiking trails, quirky Nitt Witt Ridge, unique shops and art galleries, the very best in casual and fine dining. For additional information, visit www.cambriachamber.org

Cambria's Farmers Market
Held every Friday throughout the year in the Vet's Hall parking lot from 2:30-5:30. Lots of fresh produce, specialty items, snacks, barbeque, and fresh flowers and plants.

Hearst Castle
In 1865, George Hearst purchased 40,000-acres of ranchland. In 1919, his only son, William Randolph Hearst, inherited the land. By then the ranch had grown to encompass 250,000 acres. Originally known as "Camp Hill," its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips. Despite elaborate arrangements with separate sleeping and dining tents, Hearst envisioned more comfortable accommodations. As they were planning and constructing his dream home, Hearst renamed the rocky perch from which it rose "La Cuesta Encantada" - The Enchanted Hill. By 1947, Hearst and his architect had created an estate of 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. See website for details or call 800-444-4445 for more information. For additional information, visit www.hearstcastle.com

Morro Bay
Near Hearst Castle and the Big Sur Coast, Morro Bay is a working fishing village. Its famous landmark, Morro Rock, was named by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo when he first charted this coast during his 16th Century voyage of discovery. The town is a pleasant tourist destination which has very mild weather all year long. There is no such thing as traffic in Morro Bay, unless, of course, you count birds, sea mammals, and fish! For additional information, visit www.morro-bay.net

Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

You can't find a better value than Road Scholar.

As a not-for-profit organization, we are dedicated to providing all-inclusive educational programs at great value. From lectures to gratuities to field trips to accommodations - the tuition you pay up front is all that you pay.

Specifically, this program includes:

4 nights accommodations

10 meals:
4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners

Expert-led lectures: 3

Expert-led lectures

Led by one or more of our world-class instructors, typically in a classroom setting, lectures come in the form of presentations, discussions or workshops and offer expert insight into your area of study.

Field trips: 3

Field trips

The world is your classroom, as you're on location with an instructor to pursue your educational theme firsthand.

Hands-on experiences: 5

Hands-on experiences

Learn by doing in these "hands-on" activities directed by an expert.

Plus these special experiences...

Share the wonders of Morro Bay with harbor seals, sea lions and sea otters, from the best seat in the house, a kayak!

Hunt for butterflies, raptors, egrets and evidence of mountain lions and bear in an Eucalyptus forest full of wildlife.

Learn Native American skills and stories from a Chumash Indian expert. Learn how to start a fire from nature's own materials!